Test element storage device

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a magazine for storing test elements ( 1 ) with one or several test zones ( 3 ) which are attached adjacent to one another on a rectangular support, wherein the magazine has at least one pair of guide grooves ( 18   a, b ) located opposite to one another into which the test elements are inserted in such a way that they lie directly adjacent to one another and the edges of adjacent supports abut one another. A further subject matter of the invention is a system which comprises a slide ( 14, 31 ) in addition to the magazine according to the invention which is used to push a layer of test elements along the guide grooves towards the opposite end of the layer to remove test elements from the magazine.

The field of the present invention is the storage of test elements suchas those used to detect analytes in sample liquids. Such test elementsare used especially in the field of urine analysis and in the field ofblood sugar determination. In addition test elements are widely used inenvironmental analysis. Another field of increasing importance relatesto immunological tests e.g. the detection of drugs, HCG and HIV in bloodand urine.

The test element is contacted with a sample in order to detect ananalyte or to analyse a sample liquid. In this process a surface can forexample be rubbed with the test element. However, the usual field ofapplication for test elements is to analyse sample liquids whereby thesample liquid is either applied to the test element (especially fordeterminations from blood, serum, liquor) or the test element is dippedinto the sample liquid (in particular urine).

Most test elements have to be protected against moisture to avoidreagent decomposition. This applies equally to so-called optical teststrips in which a colour change is caused by reaction of an analyte withthe sample and also to so-called sensor elements in which a chemicalchange of the test element caused by the sample is evaluatedelectrochemically. In addition it is usually necessary to protect testelements from mechanical influences and contamination in order to ensurereliable analytical results. Several types of test element storagemethods are known in the prior art. In the first procedure loose testelements are present in a container such as a tube which can be sealedby a stopper or such like. It is also known that test elements can besealed individually in water-vapour tight foils. However, with the saidstorage methods it is difficult to remove the test elements mechanicallyfrom the storage container or the sealing foil. A number of magazinesare known in the prior art in connection with a mechanical removal oftest elements as described for example in the patents U.S. Pat. Nos.5,102,624, 5,154,889, 3,918,910, 4,911,344 and 4,142,863. In this typeof magazine test elements are used which are stacked on top of oneanother. The test elements described in these US patents are speciallyadapted for use in a magazine i.e. they have a uniform thickness and canbe moved relative to one another without getting caught on one anotheror jamming. However, the majority of commercial test elements do nothave a uniform height profile and can therefore not be easily used inmagazines of the prior art. A magazine is described in the specificationU.S. Pat. No. 3,918,910 which is suitable for storing test elements inwhich several detection zones are mounted on a support. Formanufacturing reasons the detection zones project over the support andthus cause a varying vertical structure of the test element. In FIGS. 5,6, 7, 9 and 22 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,910 a magazine is shown which issuitable for storing such test elements. In this magazine the testelements are stacked on top of one another in such a way that the upperside and underside of successive test elements face one another. Thestack of test elements is pressed by spring elements towards a regionfrom where a test element is removed by being pushed or pulled out.Experimental investigations have shown that such magazines are veryprone to malfunction. Failures occur frequently in which none of thetest elements can be securely gripped by the withdrawal unit or two testelements are erroneously simultaneously transported from the magazine.

Devices are also known in the prior art for separating test strips whichcan be used to remove individual strips from a disordered quantity oftest strips. Such a device is described for example in EP-A-0 255 675.Another separating device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,425 whichalso describes a correction of the position of the individual testelements. Experience has shown that devices of this type are verysusceptible to break down especially when the test elements are bent.

The object of the present invention was to provide a magazine whichoperates reliably with the widely used commercial test elements with anuneven height profile. An additional object of the present invention wasto provide a magazine which enables a mechanical removal and a highpacking density of the test elements.

An additional object of the present invention was to propose a systemwhich enables an automated dispensing of test elements by interaction ofa magazine and a removal device. In particular an object of theinvention was to reduce the susceptibility to malfunction of knowndevices of the prior art for separating test elements.

The object is achieved by a magazine for storing test elements which hasat least one pair of opposite guide grooves into which the test elementsare inserted so that they lie directly adjacent to one another and theedges of adjacent test elements abut one another.

The present invention also concerns a system for dispensing testelements having a magazine with at least two opposite guide grooves intowhich the test elements are inserted so that they adjoin one another inone plane and the edges of adjacent test elements abut one another andcontaining a slide one end of which engages the layer formed by the testelements and moves the test elements along the grooves towards theopposite end of the layer.

Within the scope of the present invention it was found that the problemsassociated with a magazine according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,910 aremainly due to tilting of the test elements. With reference to FIG. 5 ofU.S. Pat. No. 3,918,910 (see FIG. 6 of this application) this means thatthe test elements get into a sloping position relative to the plate (61)or even the plate (61) itself can become lop-sided. This problem wasobserved in particular when the various test zones of an individual testelement have a different height which is frequently the case forcommercial test elements with several detection zones. It was also foundthat the flexibility of the test elements allows bending or eventwisting of the test elements so that it is difficult to securely graspsuch a test element with a mechanical device. The present inventiontherefore proposes a magazine in which the test elements are guided inguide grooves and are arranged such that the edges of adjacent testelements directly abut one another. The present invention utilizes thefact that as a result of their manufacture the test elements have anaccurately defined width which is constant over the length of the teststrip. If, as intended by the invention, both ends of the test elementsare guided in grooves and the test elements are arranged next to oneanother instead of above one another as in the prior art, then as a rulethe test elements, but at least the two ends of the test elements, canbe definitely positioned. Accordingly the present invention allows areliable mechanical removal of test elements from the magazine. Inparticular the magazine of the present invention is suitable for storingtest elements which are flexible and/or have an irregular heightprofile. The present application additionally describes a system whichenables test elements to be removed from the magazine according to theinvention.

Commercial test elements are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B of the presentapplication. FIG. 1A shows a top-view of a test element. The testelement (1) has a support (2) on which several test zones (3) areapplied. The rectangular test element shown has a shorter side which isnamed width in the following and a longer side which is named length.FIG. 1B shows a side-view of a test element. The different heights ofthe test zones (3) and a bending of the test element can be clearlyseen. The bending of the test element can be due to the properties ofthe support (2) as well as due to the manner in which the test zones (3)are applied. In a particularly advantageous manufacturing method fortest elements, the test zones are mounted on the support andsubsequently covered with a fine net. This procedure is for exampledescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,842. The intrinsic tendency of the netto pull together causes a bending of the test element. In addition thebending may be caused by the support material. Plastic foils arepreferably used as support materials which are cut into small stripsduring manufacture of the test elements. Hence a curvature of the foilcan also lead to a curvature of the test element.

A magazine according to the invention for the storage of test elementshas at least one pair of opposite guide grooves into which the testelements to be stored are inserted. The guide grooves guide each of thetwo opposite ends of a test element. If several test elements areinserted successively into a guide groove, then the test elements cometo lie side by side and the longitudinal edges of the supports ofadjacent test elements touch one another. The distance between theopposite guide grooves is selected according to the length of the testelements. The distance between the bottoms of the grooves (the regionsof the grooves that are furthest apart) preferably corresponds to thelength of a stretched test element. The depth of the grooves and thespacing of the grooves is determined by the length of the test elementsection which is guided by the groove. If the distance between thegrooves at their deepest point corresponds to the length of the testelements, then the guided length of the test elements equals the depthof the grooves. However, if the grooves are far apart, then there isplay of the test elements in their longitudinal direction and the guidedlength corresponds to the depth of the grooves minus this play. A slightplay of the test elements in their longitudinal direction has proven tobe advantageous for a satisfactory functioning of the magazine. Thisplay is advantageously 0.5 to 20% of the test element length. It hasturned out to be usually sufficient to guide 0.3 cm of the length of thetest element. The test element sections which are guided by the groovesare preferably 0.4 to 1.0 cm long. However, the invention also intendsto encompass those embodiments in which the two grooves are each so deepthat they receive one half of the test strip and the grooves areadditionally connected together in such a way that a continuous slit isformed. In the scope of this invention such a slit is understood as aspecial form of a groove pair. Such a slit for guiding test elements isadvantageous since it can be used to suppress the bending of the testelements since the test elements are guided over their complete length.However, for manufacturing reasons magazine designs are moreadvantageous in which the grooves have a depth of less than 2 cm.

The length of the grooves determines the number of test elements whichcan be held. There are hardly any limitations to the length of thegrooves. However, groove lengths between 5 and 15 cm are favourablesince they result in compact magazines that are easy to handle. If slits(instead of grooves) are used to hold the test elements their length isessentially technically limited by the tools since it is difficult toprovide shaping tools for large slit lengths for example above 10 cm.However, this difficulty does not apply to the use of grooves and thereare hardly limitations in the groove length. In both cases i.e. whenusing grooves or slits it must be ensured that the grooves or the slitends are essentially parallel in order to avoid the test elementsjamming or falling out.

It is advantageous according to the invention when the magazine haspairs of guide grooves arranged above one another so that test elementscan be stored in layers arranged above one another which increases theholding capacity of the magazine. It has proven to be particularlyfavourable for handling if a magazine has 8 to 15 layers of testelements. For the storage of 300 test elements it is for exampleadvantageous to use a magazine with 12 layers whereby 25 test elementsare located in each layer.

It has already been mentioned that in addition to ordering anddispensing test elements, the magazine can also have the function ofprotecting the test elements from moisture and mechanical influence.Hence the magazine can have walls which close off the interior from theouter space. The magazine must have one or several openings to removetest elements. These openings can be closed by a mechanical closure suchas a hinged cover or a bonded sealing foil. In addition it isadvantageous to seal the entire magazine, even if it is closed, in awater-vapour tight external packaging for transport.

In a preferred embodiment of the magazine the guide grooves areintegrated into the side walls of the magazine. In addition these sidewalls can already be connected together during the production process byadditional walls in particular an upper and lower wall. Sucharrangements can be preferably manufactured as one piece. The injectionmoulding process is particularly suitable for this. However, it may betechnically simpler with regard to tools to individually form the wallsof the magazine (preferably in an injection moulding process). Since thegrooves of one side of the magazine are formed by one half of the tool,the individual grooves have only very small tolerances relative to oneanother. If the parts of the magazine are individually formed then theside walls, upper and underside, front and rear side are advantageouslyeach identical so that the same tools can be used.

However, it is also advantageous to individually form the walls in aninjection moulding process such that they are connected together by filmhinges. Such a structure (folded box) can be converted into a magazineafter the moulding by locking together the individual walls.

In a further embodiment the cassette is assembled from n+1 injectionmoulded parts whereby n is the number of strip layers. All parts areidentical (repeat parts). They are flat frames which can be releasedfrom the mould in an injection moulding process without a slide. Ifthese are assembled (clipped, welded by ultrasound or glued) with theflat sides facing each other, then two pieces in each case form theopposite grooves for a layer of strips. It is advantageous for theframes to have two recesses. The smaller recess of the frame forms acell which is open at the top and bottom in which a bag of desiccant canbe placed. This can for example be prevented from falling out by a papertape.

The width of the groove and thus the spacing of the layers of strips isslightly less precise in this embodiment due to the effects of the jointtolerances.

As already mentioned it is necessary that the magazine has openings toremove test elements. It has proven to be advantageous to integrate oneor several openings into a side wall of the magazine. Such an opening isat the level of a groove so that a test element which is located in thegroove adjacent to the opening can be removed from the magazine bydisplacement along its longitudinal axis. For this purpose the openingpreferably has a rectangular cross-section the height of which is about10 to 50% larger than the maximum height of the test elements and thewidth of which is about 10 to 50% larger than the width of the testelements. If several pairs of grooves are used in a magazine, each pairof grooves preferably has one such removal opening. In addition it isadvantageous for each of the groove pairs to have an additional openingin the opposite side wall through which a slide can penetrate into themagazine in order to push out a test element. The above-mentionedopenings can be at least partially sealed by sealing foils forcommercial magazines. These sealing foils can be removed before use.However, it is advantageous if the sealing foils are pierced by theslide or an emerging test element.

In a further particularly simple embodiment of the magazine the testelements are removed by moving the test elements beyond the end of thegroove (in the longitudinal direction of the grooves) i.e. they aremoved perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the test element. Inthis embodiment the grooves of a pair of grooves are opened on one sideso that test elements can be pushed out beyond the end of the grooves.Hence the magazine has an end face which is perpendicular to the sidewalls of the magazine and in which there is one opening per pair ofgrooves for the discharge of test elements. These discharge aperturespreferably have a rectangular cross-section whose width is 10 to 30%larger than the maximum height of the test elements and whose length is0.5 to 20% larger than the length of the test strips. In a variant ofthis embodiment which is particularly simple to manufacture the magazinehas no end wall and the front end is merely sealed with the sealing foilto transport the magazine. The sealing foil can serve to seal the endwall against penetration by moisture. However, if the moistureprotection is accomplished in another manner (e.g. by an externalpackaging), then the sealing foil can optionally be omitted. However, ithas proven to be particularly effective to glue over the areas of thefront end in which the ends of the grooves are located with a foil. Inthis manner the test elements are prevented from falling out and thefoil can also be pierced by the test elements. A particular advantage ofthis embodiment is that the foil only has to be opened in the area ofthe layer from which they are removed. The other (still complete) layersof test elements remain protected by the foil so that no test elementscan fall out of the magazine when it is tilted.

For the successive removal of test elements from the magazine it isnecessary that the test elements can either be transported into aremoval position or be directly ejected from the magazine. In thesimplest case the magazine is designed such that the grooves arevertical and the test elements in the grooves are transported downwardsby gravity. In this case a removal position is located at the lower endof the magazine or the magazine is opened so that the test elements candirectly emerge from the magazine. In the latter case it is necessarythat a closure is present which prevents the test elements from fallingout in an uncontrolled manner and enables a successive withdrawal.

The inside of the magazine preferably contains one or several springelements which transport the ensemble of test elements which is presentin a pair of grooves together towards a removal position. Such springelements can for example be spiral springs which are located at the endof each groove opposite to the removal position. Spring elements alsostabilize the arrangement of test elements even if the magazine is notcompletely filled. This prevents the test elements from crossing orbecoming disordered in another manner which would greatly reduce thereliability of the magazine.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the magazine it has at leastone recess in the upper side or underside through which a slide can beinserted into the magazine. Such a slide enables the transport of thetest elements to be carried out from outside. The slide can be attachedto the outside of the magazine so that it can be manually slid by anoperator. However, the slide is preferably part of an analyticalinstrument which operates with test elements. In this case the slide iscontrolled by a drive unit which is part of the analytical instrument sothat the removal of test elements can be controlled by the analyticalinstrument. As a result test elements are only removed from theprotecting magazine when they are required by the analytical instrument.

A unit comprising a magazine and a slide which serves to remove testelements forms a system for dispensing test elements which is also asubject matter of this invention. This system includes a magazine withat least two opposite guide grooves into which the test elements areinserted such that they lie directly next to one another in one planeand the edges of adjacent test elements abut one another. The systemalso includes a slide which at one end engages the plane formed by thetest elements and moves the test elements perpendicular to theirlongitudinal axis towards the opposite end of the plane. As alreadydescribed the said slide preferably reaches into the magazine through arecess in a magazine wall. The recess required for this is kept as smallas possible in order to minimize penetration of moisture into themagazine. The recess is preferably a slit which is parallel to thegrooves in the upper or underside of the magazine. The opposinglongitudinal slides of the slit can have rubber lips which rest againstanother in the resting position and thus largely prevent penetration ofmoisture. For removal a slide is inserted between the rubber lips and isslid along the slit. Due to the elastic property of the rubber lips onlya relatively slight permeability through the rubber lips is formed inthe area where the slide penetrates and most of the slit is adequatelysealed against moisture.

In order to remove test elements the slide is moved incrementally by alength of path which essentially corresponds to the width of a testelement so that the test elements are successively moved into a removalposition or are directly ejected from the magazine. The drive unit forthe slide can for example be a nut which is located on a threaded rod.The threaded rod can be turned by a stepping motor which in turn iscontrolled by a control unit. As already mentioned it is advantageous ifthe control unit is linked to a control unit of an analytical instrumentso that the time of removal can be suitably controlled. The slide can bedirectly attached to the said nut for example in the form of a metalpin. A rotation of the threaded rod causes a linear thrust of the pinwhich is used to move the test elements.

If a magazine is used with several pairs of grooves, it is advantageousto be able to control the depth of penetration of the slide into themagazine. In an advantageous procedure the slide firstly enters themagazine to such a depth that it is located at the height of a firstlayer (level) of test elements and transports the ensemble of testelements located in this plane in such a way that the individual testelements successively reach a removal position. After this layer hasbeen completely emptied, the slide moves back, the penetration depth isincreased such that it is at the level of a second layer of testelements and the removal process is repeated. Further layers of testelements can be emptied in a corresponding manner.

For the successive removal of test elements from the magazine it isimportant that the sliding of the test elements into the removalposition within the magazine and the removal of the test elements fromthis position takes place in a coordinated manner. The removal of testelements from the removal position can be achieved by a second slidewhich slides the test element located in the removal position along itslongitudinal axis and thus pushes it out of the magazine. The removalcan also be achieved by inserting a gripper into the magazine andpulling a test element from the removal position. Combinations of thetwo removal processes are also possible in which the test element isfirstly partly slid along its longitudinal axis by a slide such that thetest element can be more easily gripped by a handling unit.

A removal cycle for test elements comprises the following steps:

Removal of a test element from a removal position of the magazine (cantake place by sliding out, pushing out or a combination of bothprocesses)

Sliding an ensemble of test elements located in one plane so that a newtest element is transported into the removal position.

Within the scope of the present invention a system is additionallydescribed containing a magazine according to the invention and a slidefor sliding layers of test strips and a roller with at least one grooveinto which a test element can be inserted and transported by rotatingthe roller. The magazine and a region of the roller are preferablylocated in a moisture-tight housing so that the test elements located inthe magazine are not destroyed by moisture. A coordinated operation ofthe slide and the roller enables the test elements to be successivelytransported from the housing.

The present invention is illustrated in more detail by the followingfigures:

FIG. 1A: top-view of a test element

FIG. 1B: side-view of a test element

FIG. 2: section through a magazine along a plane of test elements

FIG. 3: section through a magazine along cutting line A′ in FIG. 2

FIG. 4: section through a magazine along the line B′ in FIG. 2

FIG. 5: cutaway enlargement of the area X in FIG. 4

FIG. 6: state of the art (U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,910)

FIG. 7: magazine constructed from assembled frames

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E: systems for dispensing test elements

FIG. 9: roller with groove for holding test elements

FIG. 10: system for removing test elements from the roller

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F: systems for dispensing test elementswith refill devices

FIG. 1 shows a top-view of a test element. In addition the support (2)and the test zones (3) can be seen. FIG. 1B shows a further test elementin a side-view. In particular FIG.1B illustrates the different heightsof the test zones (3) and the bending of the support (2).

FIG. 2 shows a magazine along a layer (plane) of test elements (1). Thetest elements are arranged in the magazine in the same direction andside by side. Grooves for holding test elements are located in the sidewalls (10 a) and (10 b). The rear side of the magazine has a desiccantchamber (11) which serves to absorb moisture which penetrates themagazine. Substances known in the prior art e.g. silica gel or molecularsieves can be used as desiccants. The desiccant chamber (11) closes therear side of the magazine in such a manner that no openings remain inorder to prevent moisture penetration.

FIG. 2 shows a layer of test elements which has already been halfemptied. It was emptied by moving the test elements from the rear sideof the magazine towards the front side (12) as indicated by the arrow(13). The test element (1′) nearest to the front side is in the removalposition. The test element (1′) is removed by being pushed out of themagazine in the direction shown by the arrow (15) by an ejector slide(14). For this purpose the magazine has an opening in its right sidesurface (10 b) through which the ejector slide (14) can penetrate intothe magazine. The magazine also has an opening in the left side surface(10 a) through which the test element (1′) can emerge from the magazine.

FIG. 2 additionally shows slits (16 a) and (16 b) although these arelocated in the upper side of the magazine and are not in the plane oftest elements. Slides which move the ensemble of test elements in thedirection of the arrow (13) can engage in the slits (16 a) and (16 b).

FIG. 3 shows a section through the magazine of FIG. 2 along the line(A-A′). In FIG. 3 the slide (17) for sliding the test elements towardsthe removal position is shown. FIG. 3 also shows the groove length (L).

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of the magazine from FIG. 2 along the cuttingline (B-B′). The pairs of grooves (18 a, 18 b) in which the testelements are guided can be seen in FIG. 4. Each pair of grooves containstwo opposite grooves. The magazine shown in FIG. 4 has 12 such pairs ofgrooves so that test elements can be stored in 12 planes or layers.

FIG. 5 shows a cut-out enlargement (5-fold) of the region (X) in FIG. 4in which the structure of the grooves used in this case can be seen moreclosely. The grooves shown have a depth (T) in which the ends of thetest elements are inserted. FIG. 5 shows that each of the grooves has anarrower and a broader part. This is advantageous when the test zones onthe support extend close to one end of the test element. In this case agroove with two regions of thickness can be advantageously used so thatthe extreme test element end which is not covered by a test zone can beguided in the narrower region of the groove and in addition aneighbouring region in which a test zone is located can be guided by thebroader region of the groove.

The distance between the grooves shown in FIG. 5 is ca. 2 mm. Such asmall spacing can be achieved despite bending of the test elementswithout risk of jamming of neighbouring planes of test elements. In thisconnection it is advantageous to arrange the test elements in the samedirection in the plane so that the upper side of a test element in onelayer comes to lie next to the underside of the test element in the nexthigher layer. Since a bending of test elements usually occurs in thesame direction for each batch, the layers of test elements have the samedirection of curvature and an adequate distance between the layersremains ensured.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a magazine which is plugged together orclipped together from individual frames (20). In the example shown theframes are shaped such that the lateral edge (21) is raised above aledge (22). The underside of the frame is essentially planar in the areaof the edge (21) and the ledge (22) so that when two or several framesare stacked on top of one another a groove is formed by the ledge (22)and the overlying bottom surface of the next frame. The frames have afront part in which the grooves are located and a rectangular cut out(23). This forms a cavity in the assembled magazine which can be filledwith a desiccant or with a desiccant container. The frames (20) can alsohave slits (24) (two in the example shown) into which a slide can engageto move the test elements.

FIG. 8 shows a system for dispensing test elements. FIGS. 8A to 8E showthe steps for removing a test element. The system shown in FIG. 8A has amagazine (30) in which several layers of test elements are arranged edgeto edge. This magazine essentially corresponds to that shown in FIG. 3.In particular the grooves of the magazine are open on the side facingaway from the desiccant (60) so that test elements can be successivelytransported out of the magazine by sliding a layer of test elements. Theunderside of the magazine has one or several slit(s) into which theslide(s) (31) can engage into the magazine. One axis (32) of the slideis in turn pivotally connected to a movable sliding carriage (33). Inorder to remove test elements the magazine (30) is moved to a level atwhich a layer of test elements is positioned at the level of the frontend (31 a) of the slide. The slide is then moved towards the layer oftest elements by operating the sliding carriage. The slide engages thelayer of test elements is shown in FIG. 8A and slides the entire layerso that the test elements are moved laterally towards the opened end ofthe magazine. A pivoted roller is arranged opposite to the opening ofthe magazine which has at least one groove for holding a test element.The roller preferably has two grooves of essentially identical geometry.In order to remove a test element, the roller (40) is rotated such thatthe at least one groove (41) is located at the level of the layer oftest strips moved by the slide. As a result of moving the slide the testelement in the layer which is furthest away from the slide is pushedinto the groove (41). FIG. 8B shows a state in which the said testelement is already located in the groove. The test element is pushed tothe end of the groove (41) by movement of the sliding carriage (33) andfurther movement of the sliding carriage (33) leads to a rotation of theslide (31) around its axis (32) since the layer of test elementsarranged edge to edge cannot be indefinitely compressed. The slide ispreferably held in its resting position by a spring (34) and a movementfrom the resting position by rotation around the axis is detected by asensor (35). This sensor can for example be a light barrier whose lightpath is interrupted when the rear end (31 b) of the slide dips. Thisinterruption can be detected with a control device and the movement ofthe sliding carriage (33) towards the roller (40) can be stopped.Consequently this device can reliably and completely push a test elementfrom the magazine into the groove without needing to know the width ofthe test element. Hence the device is largely independent of variationsof test element width which for production reasons are virtuallyunavoidable. Starting with the position shown in FIG. 8B the slidingcarriage is moved in the opposite direction which takes the pressure offthe layer of test elements and the slide returns to its resting positionwith regard to rotation around the axis (32). The test element which isnow located in the roller can be transported away by rotating theroller. The magazine and the part of the roller which serves to hold atest element are preferably located within a moisture-tight housing(50). This can prevent destruction of test elements located in themagazine by moisture. This is additionally ensured by a desiccant (60)which is part of the magazine. Since the groove for holding the testelement can be located within the housing (50) as well as outside,special measures are required to seal the region of the roller topenetration by moisture. This can for example be achieved by rubber lipsor such like which tightly rest against the roller and ensure moisturesealing when the roller is rotated. Since the groove loaded with a testelement must, however, be rotated through such a rubber lip, theconstruction shown in FIG. 8 has proven to be more suitable for avoidingpenetration by moisture. The housing (50) has protecting parts (50 a, 50b) which are arranged relative to the exterior peripheral surface of theroller (40) in such a way that the roller is surrounded as tightly aspossible in these areas. There are gaps between the protecting parts (50a, 50 b) and the roller (40) which enable an easy rotation of the rollerand ensure that also test elements which protrude above the externalcontour of the roller can be transported without destruction. The gapbetween the protecting parts and the roller represent a leakage path formoisture through which a certain amount of moisture can penetrate.However, this amount is so low that it does not lead to a rapiddecomposition of the test elements.

FIG. 8D shows how the test element located in the groove is transportedthrough the gap between the protecting part (50 a) and the roller byrotation of the roller. FIGS. 8C and 8D show that the test elementprotrudes slightly above the exterior contour of the roller. Thiscorresponds to a preferred design in which the depth of the groove isless than the smallest expected test element width. This ensures thateach test element protrudes at least slightly above the external contourof the roller and thus no subsequent test element can enter the groovetogether with the test element that is already located in the groove.Such a situation must be avoided since rotation of the roller would leadto a system failure as a result of jamming etc.. FIG. 8C also shows thatthe gap between the protecting parts (50 a) and the roller is largerthan the gap between the protecting part (50 b) and the roller. In orderto prevent test elements from falling out of the groove, the testelement is transported through the upper gap. The gap between theprotecting part (50 b) and the roller can therefore be as small as themanufacturing tolerances allow.

Usually the roller is rotated by 180° to remove a test element from themagazine which transports the test element into the position shown inFIG. 8E from which it can be collected with a gripping arm or such like.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the roller (40). A groove (41) islocated in the roller which is integrated in the exterior peripheralsurface of the roller and is parallel to the axis of the roller. A testelement (1) is located in the groove. In order to remove the testelement, the roller preferably has one or several slits (42) which areessentially perpendicular to the axis of the roller. The slits (42)extend starting from the surface of the roller towards the roller axis.The shape of the slits is preferably a “D”. The slits are arranged inthe area of the groove such that they undercut the groove and a space ismade accessible in the area of the slits behind the test element whichcan be used to remove the test element.

The roller shown in FIG. 9 is shown in cross-section in FIG. 10 togetherwith a rake (100) for removal. The rake (100) can for example have theshape of a hook and be guided through the slit (42) behind the testelement in order to remove the test element (1). The test element can bepulled out of the groove (41) onto a support (101) by a pulling movementof the rake. From here the test element can be subjected to furtherprocess steps in order to carry out an analysis.

FIGS. 11A to F show a system for dispensing test elements which has arefill device for magazines. The system of FIG. 11 correspondsessentially to the system shown in FIG. 8 with regard to the function ofthe slide (31) and the roller (40). However, building on the system ofFIG. 8 additional functions are possible with the system shown in FIG.11. FIG. 11A shows a drawer (70) which can be pulled out and pushed intothe system filled with a magazine (30). In order to remove test elementsfrom the magazine, the magazine is moved into a removal positionadjacent to the roller (40) (analogous to FIG. 8). For this purpose thesystem shown in FIG. 11A has a lifting platform (80) which can be movedvertically into which a magazine from the drawer can be inserted forwhich a separate device can be provided. However, it is advantageous touse the slide (31) to move the magazine. For this purpose the movingcarriage (33) is moved so far to the left that the slide (31) can engagefrom the underside into the magazine (30) located in the drawer (70).The moving carriage (33) is now moved towards the roller (40) so thatthe front end (31 a) of the slide (31) catches on an edge of themagazine and pulls the magazine into the lifting platform as shown inFIG. 11B. The lifting platform (80) has a bottom surface (81) forreceiving the magazine which prevents the magazine from falling down.The bottom surface (81) has a recess into which the slide (31) can bemoved. When a magazine is completely inserted into the lifting platform(80), the test elements can be removed in a similar manner to thatdescribed for FIG. 8. It is also possible to fill the drawer which isnow empty with a new magazine (30′) as shown in FIG. 11C.

In order to remove test elements from the individual layers of themagazine, the magazine in the lifting platform can be moved verticallywith the lifting platform (80) relative to the slide (31) and the roller(40). In each case they are removed from the layer located between thefront end of the slide and the groove of the roller.

After a magazine in the lifting platform (80) has been emptied it can besimply replaced by a new magazine. For this the lifting platform (80)moves to a level at which the lower edge of the magazine (30) is locatedabove the upper edge of the magazine (30′) (see FIG. 11D). Now amechanism which is part of the lifting platform is activated whichslides the magazine (30) out of the lifting platform onto the magazine(30′). For this purpose the lifting platform can preferably have acircular belt (82) which is driven by a motor (83). An ejector cam (84)is attached to the belt which slides the magazine (30) as desired whenthe belt is moved. The magazine (30) can for example come to lie on themagazine (30′) and falls into the drawer when the magazine (30′) ispulled from under it according to FIG. 11B. However, the system of FIG.11 preferably has the holding device shown as an example in 11F. Whenthe magazine (30) is slid out from the lifting platform the magazine isfirstly pushed into a holding device. Two opposing rollers (90) areshown in FIG. 11F between which the magazine (30) is pushed. The rollers(90) preferably have rubber overlays (91) or such like which make aclose contact between the rollers and the magazine when the magazine(30) is inserted as a result of which the rollers rotate when themagazine is inserted and the magazine cannot fall in an uncontrolledmanner. In order to lower the magazine into the drawer (70), the rollers(90) are moved apart to release the magazine. In FIG. 11F the positionof the rollers is already shown in which the magazine is released. Thedescribed mechanism enables a controlled lowering of emptied magazinesinto the drawer without jamming.

The emptied magazine which is now located in the drawer can be removedby the operator and optionally replaced by a fresh magazine. Hence acontinuous operation is possible with this system which only seldomlyrequires an action by the user.

List of reference numerals (1) test element (2) support (3) test zone(10a) left side face (10b) right side face (11) desiccant chamber (12)front side (13) arrow in the feed direction (14) ejector slide (15)arrow in the ejection direction (16a, 16b) slits (17) slide (18a, 18b)pair of grooves (20) individual frame (21) edge (22) ledge (23)rectangular recess (24) slit (30) magazine (31) slide (31a) front end ofthe slide (31b) rear end of the slide (32) axis (33) sliding carriage(34) spring (40) sensor (40) roller (41) groove (42) slit (50) housing(60) desiccant (70) drawer (80) lifting platform (81) bottom of thelifting platform (82) belt (83) motor (84) ejector cam (90) rollers (91)rubber overlay (100) rake (101) support

What is claimed is:
 1. A magazine for storing test elements having atleast one test zone disposed on a support, wherein the magazinecomprises at least a pair of side walls comprising opposing guidegrooves in which the test elements can be inserted in such a way thatthey lie adjacent to one another and edges of adjacent supports of thetest elements abut one another.
 2. The magazine of claim 1 wherein themagazine comprises at least two pairs of said opposing guide grooves andthe pairs are arranged above one another.
 3. The magazine of claim 2wherein the guide grooves are integrated into a said side wall of themagazing and at least one opening per pair of guide grooves is locatedin a side wall of the magazine.
 4. The magazine of claim 3 wherein theopening has a rectangular cross-section, its height is 10 to 50% largerthan the maximum height of the test elements and its width is 10 to 50%larger than the width of the test elements.
 5. The magazine of claim 3further comprising a front face which is essentially perpendicular tothe side walls of the magazine.
 6. The magazine of claim 5 wherein thereis either one opening per pair of grooves in the front face which islocated such that test elements which are moved in the grooves canemerge from the magazine through the opening or the front face is open.7. The magazine of claim 6 wherein the opening has a rectangularcross-section, its width is 10 to 30% larger than the maximum height ofthe test elements and its length is 0.5 to 20% larger than the length ofthe test strips.
 8. The magazine of claim 6 further comprising springelements which move the test elements within the grooves so that a testelement can be moved to a position near the opening and removed throughthe opening.
 9. The magazine of claim 1 wherein the magazine compriseswalls which enclose the magazine.
 10. The magazine of claim 9 furthercomprising at least one cut-out in a wall which is parallel to the planeof test elements.
 11. The magazine of claim 1 further comprising adesiccant in the interior of the magazine.
 12. The magazine of claim 1wherein the front side of the magazine is at least partially sealed by asealing foil.
 13. The magazine of claim 12 wherein the rear side of themagazine is sealed by a desiccant chamber.
 14. The magazine of claim 1wherein the magazine comprises: (a) two side walls with integrated guidegrooves; (b) two walls which link the side walls together in such a waythat the magazine has a cubical shape; and (c) a desiccant chamber whichis located at a rear side of the magazine.
 15. The magazine of claim 14wherein the open end face of the magazine is at least partially closedby a sealing foil.
 16. The magazine of claim 14 wherein the magazine isinjection molded as an integral unit and comprises film hinges that jointhe walls of the magazine together.